The 98th
Academy Awards Nominee
Under the direction of Directorate General of Cinema, the
15-person Selection Committee of representatives from various filmmaking
organizations, determined the Turkish nominee for the Best International Film
category at the 98th Academy Awards which will be
held in Los Angeles on March 15, 2026.
Each country selects and nominates one film for the Academy
Award. The two-stage vote of shortlisted 15 films will narrow to five films. No
Turkish film has yet made it to the final five in this category and competed at
the Academy Awards.
After evaluating 14 films sent to the Union of Cinema
Professional Associations for considerations, Murat Fıratoğlu’s [1]"One of
the Days Hemme Died/ Hemme’nin Öldüğü Günlerden Biri " [2] was selected by a
majority vote as Türkiye's Best International Film nominee.
First
stop Venice Film Festival
Murat Fıratoğlu’s film, "One of Those Days When Hemme
Dies," received the Special Jury Prize in the Orizzonti section which
focuses on innovative films, recognized his debut feature film for its unique
storytelling at the 81st of the Venice International Film Festival.
Paris based Sales agency Luxbox[3] has acquired “One of Those
Days When Hemme Dies!” which has its world premiere in the Horizons section of
the Venice Film Festival.
Türkiye was well-represented at the festival with two more
films. Turker Suer’s “Edge of the Night” is also shown in the “Orizzonti Extra”
section, and Cansu Baydar’s “Almost Certainly Wrong” is included in the
“Orizzonti Short Films” category.
Murat Fıratoğlu’s film after its world premiere, was
selected as the "Best Film" at the 31st International Adana Golden
Boll Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in Türkiye,
which has been running for 30 years where Nuri Bilge Ceylan chaired the jury,
and later at the Ankara Film Festival.
After his win at the Adana Golden Boll Film Festival/ Altın
Koza Film Festival, Fıratoğlu stated that the idea for the film began when he
saw a lone tree in Siverek, and that the limited budget spurred creative
inspiration. The familiarity of the locations used in the film and the fact
that he spoke the same language as the actors also helped the production
process.
Fıratoğlu plotted his screenplay as a powerful outlet for social criticism, using the harsh conditions of the countryside and using local nonprofessional characters, mostly his family members and few professional actors.
When
Hemme Dies!
The film tells the story of Eyüp returning to his hometown
of Siverek in southeastern Türkiye after financial troubles in the West coast
town of Izmir. People dance at a wedding is the first image. The scene changes
to him working under the blazing sun during harvest to dry tomatoes under the
pressure of an impending debt and unable to earn his daily wages. He argues
with his foreman, Hemme. Furious and desperate, Eyüp leaves the field on his
red motorcycle, in search of a possibly radical solution to exact revenge.
The Producer Director Murat Fıratoğlu acting as the lead
actor as Eyüp uses a simple narrative while he devises a plan for revenge. His
villagers continuously divert him with trivial tasks throughout the day, which
ends with Eyüp dancing side by side with Hemme at a wedding.
This is a film which forces us to observe the small everyday
actions of life, the small but significant acts of rebellion with no intention
of laying down arms while engaging the audience to live at Eyüp’s introspection,
pace and, pauses, his moments of anxiety and existential doubts with visual
pauses sometimes as long as eight minutes where seemingly nothing happens. We
feel the urgency in his active mind seeking a solution with subtle visual cues matching
red tomatoes to his red motorcycle that constantly stops working. Visual
stability makes the viewer feel the suffering under the heat of the yellow sun,
empty dust roads, and dry fields becoming characters unto themselves.
The film moves forward without the use of flashbacks except
the beginning and ending circle of scenes, with a reluctance for quick editing
cuts builds up a slow suspense that deserves to be recognized an important
debut and patiently enjoyed making us wait for Murat Fıratoğlu’s follow up with
high expectations.
Trailer of the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSgYQxjydP8
[1] Murat Fıratoğlu
Murat Firatoğlu
Murat Firatoğlu was born on September 7,1983 in Siverek. He
studied law at Dicle University. He lives in Istanbul and works as a lawyer. He
has been active in the film industry by attending film-making workshops between
2004 and 2017, including programs organized by Diyarbakır Art Center and film
director Reha Erdem. His films have been featured in multiple festivals,
including the Antalya Film Forum and the Sabancı Foundation Film Competition.
Filmography
One of Those Days When Hemme Dies – 2024 WATCH
The Photo of Kholoud Ahmed – 2016 – Short film
Albatros Dreams – 2008 – Short film
The Edge of All Possibilities – 2008 – Short film
Straw Dust – 2007 – Short documentary
[2] Credits
One of the Days Hemme Died/ Hemme’nin Öldüğü Günlerden
Biri
2024
Türkiye, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, United Kingdom
Running time: 82 min / Ratio: 1.85 in Color / Sound: 5.1 /
Directed, Written and Produced by: Murat Fıratoğlu
Cinematography by: Semih
Yildiz, Nedim Dedecan, Abdurrahman Öncü
Edited by: Eyüp Zana Ekinci
Language: Turkish
Cast: Salih Taşçı, Murat Fıratoğlu, Sefer Fıratoğlu, Güneş
Sayın, Ali Barkın, Çetin Fıratoğlu.
Festivals & Awards
2024
Venice International Film Festival – Orizzonti Competition – Special Orizzonti Jury Prize
International Adana Golden Boll Film Festival – Nature Feature Film Competition – SIYAD Best Film Award
Mostra Internacional de Cinema de São Paulo
Eurasia International Film Festival – Central Asia and Turkic World Competition – Special Jury Award
Stockholm International Film Festival – Discovery Section
Marrakech International Film Festival – Competition
Singapore International Film Festival – Panorama Section
Hainan Island International Film Festival – Panorama
[3] International Sales by: Luxbox, a Paris-based company,
dedicated to international sales of selected projects. Based on a solid film
catalogue and an enthusiastic pool of world cinema directors. https://luxboxfilms.com/
6 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris, France
Théophane Bérenger, Festivals Manager & Marketing
T: +33 6 58 82 25 20 / E: theophane@luxboxfilms.com
REVIEWS
Composed of long, meditative sequence shots, One of Those Days When Hemme Dies - the debut feature film by Turkish director and lawyer Murat Fıratoğlu, winner of the Special Jury Prize in the Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti section - takes us inside the private world of a character wrestling with the injustices of a world where worth depends on earnings. Of a seeming and disarming simplicity, One of Those Days When Hemme Dies is a film which forces the audience to stop and observe the small everyday actions of life, the small but significant acts of rebellion carried out by souls who have no intention of laying down arms.
Eyüp, the film’s protagonist (played by the director himself), slaves away beneath the relentless sun harvesting tomatoes in south-eastern Turkey. He subjects himself to this inhumane regime because he desperately needs to pay a debt which might otherwise land him in prison. Following a clash with his supervisor, Eyüp roams the city devising a radical plan which might return a little stability and dignity to his life.
One of Those Days When Hemme Dies doesn’t focus on urban life or modern society; instead, the director looks to explore the human, existential problems which torment his protagonists. Composed of poetic, introspective sequence shots which can sometimes last as long as eight minutes, Fıratoğlu’s first feature film encourages the audience to live at Eyüp’s pace, sharing his pauses, his moments of introspection, but also his anxiety and existential doubts. During these pauses, viewers can reflect on their own lives, on the small and seemingly insignificant ups and downs of day-to-day life. In this sense, Eyüp guides us towards a world where taking a break becomes essential, a gentler world which allows us to slow down and observe the beauty around us. Sustaining this state of poetic apathy are the silences - the undisputed protagonists of this film which conveys more with images than with words. The director seems to be looking to capture the pace of life itself, the inevitable moments of stasis where nothing happens, where the body appears immobile but the mind is furiously active.
Just like the silences, the landscapes - places where human
beings don’t dare venture - becomes characters unto themselves. The images of
fields covered in dazzling white tarpaulins and bursting with red tomatoes, all
surrounded by seductively barren, yellow mountains and by a sky too blue to be
real, are stupendous in this sense. But, when the workers arrive, this
Eden-like land turns into hostile ground where abuse becomes common currency.
The working conditions are terrible, without any form of social security, as if
this paradise had suddenly morphed into hell. Even though One of Those Days
When Hemme Dies focuses on the rural workers’ struggles, on the right to having
basic needs met and to having a dignified job that’s respectful of the
individual, the director also dares to tackle the topics of toxic masculinity,
violence and pride. The film is, in fact, dominated by men, and by characters
who sink to grotesque measures to impose and preserve their dominion. Eyüp
seems to want to escape this vicious circle to seek out a balance and “respect”
which aren’t based on the law of the jungle but on tolerance and solidarity.
One of Those Days When Hemme Dies is an aesthetically powerful first film which
turns simplicity into a battleground.
One of Those Days When Hemme Dies sold worldwide by Luxbox.
Review: One of Those Days When Hemme Dies - Cineuropa
In what can most appropriately be described as a collision between Samuel Beckett and Abbas Kiarostami, we find Murat Fıratoğlu standing at the helm of one of the most ambitious debut directorial efforts of the year, One of Those Days When Hemme Dies, a tragicomic account of a conflicted laborer in modern-day Turkey who forms a vitriolic vendetta against the foreman that has taken advantage of him, and decides to plot revenge, which stirs many polarized opinions from those around the periphery of the situation. A simple but very effective drama that carries immense weight in terms of both its thematic content and socio-cultural underpinnings, the film is a fascinating character study in which the director takes an intriguing premise and allows it to flourish into a bold and daring examination of the human condition, albeit one that begins to veer away from convention the further it dives into the layers of subtext found throughout the story. Considering this is his first directorial outing, there are several impressive details in terms of both the narrative and its execution that signal Fıratoğlu’s potential to be an exciting voice in contemporary cinema, and the intrepid style of storytelling aids in overcoming some of the slight flaws that are embedded in the film as part of the director’s development of his artistic voice. The perfect blend of peculiar and melancholic, One of Those Days When Hemme Dies is a deeply unnerving examination of revenge and the toll it can take on those unprepared for the consequences.
There are many fascinating narrative and thematic strands that make up One of Those Days When Hemme Dies, a film that is much deeper than we would expect based on a glance at the premise. On the surface, this is a film about death, which is presented in the vengeful actions of the protagonist against the man who has chosen to abuse his power, and now has to face the consequences. Fıratoğlu crafts something that sits at the intersection between a classical fable that carries an important moral, and a slightly theatrical revenge tale, which are essentially two sides of the same thematic coin, particularly in how they both intend to explore fate and consequences. Interwoven into the central narrative are conversations around culture, particularly life in contemporary Turkey for the working class. Taking place almost entirely in the countryside with a few brief sojourns into the local small town, the film uses its limited scope as a way of exploring the daily routine of these characters, quickly homing in on one particular character as he launches a one-person crusade against a notoriously difficult superior. This unearths some fascinating discourse around class structure, social stratification and the plight of the blue-collar workers who are viewed as expendable labor, but possess both a disdain towards authority and a desire to seize control by any means necessary. Fıratoğlu combines these ideas together in creative and engaging ways, and finds unique components in an otherwise quite straightforward premise.
Based on the simplicity of the narrative, One of Those Days
When Hemme Dies could have ventured in many different directions in terms of
tone and overall execution. Mercifully, the director chooses to avoid overt
sentimentality or an abundance of heavy-handed social commentary, instead
crafting the film as a more slow-paced, ruminative piece that develops into a
meditative existential odyssey, following the protagonist as he goes through
the motions of plotting revenge. The film is told in a bare-bones, mostly
unfurnished style, where the camera places the viewer at a distance from these
characters, creating the sense that we are peering into their lives rather than
actively participating in the journey alongside the protagonist, which situates
the audience as voyeurs into their day-to-day routine and its gradual
dismantling during the day when the film takes place. For some, this approach
is cold and clinical, and can lack the substance to honor the complex
components of the narrative, but the director clearly possesses the
self-assurance to use this intentional distance as a powerful narrative tool.
The approach also massively benefits from the cast, with Fıratoğlu (who also
stars in the film) in particular being a fascinating protagonist, playing the
part of this man caught between abiding by the law and falling victim to the
continuous cycle of abuse and exploitation faced by the working class, or
making a bold decision that may stir extreme consequences for him, but improve
conditions for those that come after him. It’s often quite brutal and sharply
defined, but this only further amplifies the underlying message. The more
measured pace and slightly ambiguous conclusion should not be cause for
misunderstanding or misinterpretation – One of Those Days When Hemme Dies is a
radical work, albeit one that reveals itself in a steady, gradual manner,
choosing to approach its themes as a slow burn rather than an explosion. There
are many layers to this film, and it takes time to fully understand each one of
them. Fıratoğlu weaves a complex depiction of the human condition, which he
views as something simultaneously beautiful and savage, and impossible to
condense into a single coherent stream of ideas. He takes a concept that could
have potentially been overwrought under the wrong approach, and pieces together
a harsh but captivating story of revenge and the consequences that exist on
both sides of a violent act. The answers to the lingering questions are not
always clear, and it can sometimes come across as somewhat frustrating to see
how the film meanders at certain points – but by the time we reach the striking
conclusion, everything has fallen into place. A strong debut in terms of both
narrative and style, One of Those Days When Hemme Dies proves to be an extremely
effective blend of social issues and existential ponderings, and firmly
establishes Fıratoğlu as an essential new voice in contemporary cinema.
==================================================
Venice 2024 review: One of Those Days When Hemme Dies (Murat
Fıratoğlu)
People dance at a wedding in the first image of One of Those Days When Hemme Dies by Turkish director Murat Fıratoğlu, presented in the Orizzonti section of Venice 81. A cut takes us away from this fixed, lingering shot to a field covered in an immense white sheet, stained red. There are a myriad of tomatoes, being dried with salt and sun. One of them, Eyüp, is impatient; he hasn't been paid for too long. An argument breaks out, his boss candidly calls him a "son of a bitch." Eyüp can't see anymore. The motorcycle he wants to take home to get a gun, however, jams. He is forced to push it. Arriving in a residential area, two acquaintances of his are sitting at a table and greet him. They invite him to stop and have tea with them. But he's in a hurry. He sets off again, but the motorcycle jams again.
Like the motorcycle, the thriller that One of Those Days
When Hemme Dies might seem like from its opening minutes also stalls. And
that's a great thing. Because Fıratoğlu's debut and the story of his
protagonist (played by himself due to a lack of actors) opens up to a myriad of
other films. Starting with the cinema of Elia Suleiman, a clear reference for
the entire central section, composed of small, often fixed scenes, where small
stories pierce the main narrative line. The motorcycle stalls completely; Eyüp
leaves it near a tree to continue on foot. He encounters a fast-talking
winemaker who pins him to a table. An elderly uncle walks him home, carrying
the watermelon he bought. “Before you leave, cut it up. Eat a piece. You can't
leave without eating.” While Eyüp eats a piece of watermelon, his uncle falls
asleep.
Glimpses of futile everyday life shatter any pretense in One
of Those Days When Hemme Dies, all scrutiny is futile. This simplicity, if
looked at at a glance, will remain completely silent, impassive. Eyüp is
sitting on a bench, the impasse seems now certified. He stares into space. A
man kicks a can abandoned on the ground in front of him. After a couple of
steps, he picks it up and puts it back where he found it. A few seconds later,
a boy with a plastic gun shoots Eyüp fleetingly (if there's a gun in the story,
it must shoot, as Chekhov said), then a little girl interrupts the can's rest
by kicking it off-screen. If we accept Murat Fıratoğlu's kind invitation, if we
take the time to savor a piece of watermelon or kick a can and resist the
incessant rhythm of passing time, something luminous unfolds before our eyes.
Paths to poetry, spirituality, peace open up. But only if we surrender to the
dance of life, futile, banal, and yet extraordinary.
===================================
One of Those Days When Hemme Dies, la recensione
The film begins with scenes of workers drying tomatoes in the Siverek district of Şanlıurfa. We observe the tomato-drying process in detail, gaining a fair understanding of the process. Because tomato-drying is seasonal, we witness the moments that begin with a quarrel between seasonal worker Eyüp (Murat Fıratoğlu) and his superior, Hemme, but then escalate into a physical altercation, giving the film its theme. The film follows a series of routines that unfold: long walks, casual conversations, and pleasant encounters. We meet all these people through Eyüp's crossing paths. This connection between them actually begins when Eyüp encounters Hemme, the gun he's strapped to his waist, on his way to kill her.
The entire film is built upon Eyüp's encounters with people he knows and the dialogues he engages in. The film's greatest success lies in its authenticity. The story is real, the characters are real, the locations are real, and the costumes are real. The characters are not caricatured; on the contrary, they are ordinary people we often encounter in society. It's safe to say that this genuine story and character development can only be achieved through keen observation.
The director's near-complete mastery of the film's direction and his complete conviction in his work are among the factors that solidify the film's success. For 83 minutes, "One of the Days Hemme Died" doesn't even give the audience a chance to blink. Even in the dialogue-free scenes, boredom is unavoidable; we watch each scene unfold with the knowledge that we'll witness a genuine human routine.
We meet Eyüp on his journey to kill Hemme. We watch him carry an elderly man he doesn't know, stranded in the heat because he can't carry a watermelon, to his home with a slow rhythm. As he travels with the watermelon on his shoulder and the elderly man in his arm, we are convinced that Eyüp is a good person and incapable of killing someone. The dialogue between him and the woman, a childhood friend who comes to the stationery store while we realize she's actually his childhood crush, is heartbreaking. The fact that a simple conversation can touch the heart so deeply inspires us to praise the script's subtleties. In the scene where Eyüp sits on the bench, we can only imagine his thoughts after a day spent like a soda can being tossed around.
The Dynamics of the Film
We see in many scenes that the director references and is influenced by numerous directors. Is this a bad thing? Of course not. Cinema is, above all, a matter of passion. It's impossible to make good films without loving it. Loving cinema, however, begins with the directors of films we admire. Therefore, it's not wrong to create a film without copying it, but simply by emulating and envying it. It's a normal occurrence, especially for someone so early in their career.
The film's dramatic structure is built on solid bricks. The narrative isn't overly complex, the language is simple, and the story is enriched by simple building blocks. The combination of its simple dialogue and familiar human figures makes it feel like another provincial story that has entered our cinematic landscape. However, it may not be for everyone. This film won't please those who dislike long scenes without dialogue, those who can't watch independent cinema, and those who say rural stories aren't for them. But you never know.
The film's title could be considered one of its most interesting factors. It gives the film an identity. Above all, it piques curiosity. It makes one wonder whether the film's title is metaphorical or a reference to reality. It appeals to audiences in many ways and received rave reviews from festival audiences.
The ability to make routines that wouldn't interest anyone
follow a flow without blinking an eye… That flow never gets boring… This is the
impact One of the Days Hemme Died has on the audience.
Director/Screenplay: Murat Fıratoğlu
Cast: Salih Taşçıoğlu, Murat Fıratoğlu, Sefer Fıratoğlu, Güneş Sayın, Ali Barkın, Fırat Bozan, Çetin Fıratoğlu
Türkiye / Drama / 83 min.
We learn that Eyüp (Murat Fıratoğlu), the man on whom the story revolves, is from Izmir, unlike the other workers. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons why he's a bit more vocal than the others and demands his rights against the injustices he's faced. We see that Hemme (Salih Taşçı), their leader and employer, hasn't paid their daily wages for a long time and wants to make them work harder than usual. This is precisely where things get out of hand. Just as Eyüp is about to argue with Hemme, the people there stop him. While two or three people try to stop Eyüp, no one stops Hemme. Hemme, meanwhile, says things like, "Let her come." In this scene, we see Hemme's authority over Eyüp. After this scene, Eyüp decides to kill Hemme. However, the path he takes is not what he expected.
Eyüp, wanting to go to his home in Siverek to retrieve his gun, decides to get on his motorcycle and leave. The engine's constant stalling and breakdown along the way serve as a sign that Job shouldn't embark on this journey. Despite the engine stalling repeatedly, when he reaches Siverek, he puts his gun back on his belt, and the story takes a very different turn. Meanwhile, we see that the people in Siverek, like his engine, are also "staggering," hindering Job even if he doesn't do anything. We realize that while Job's day in Siverek may be an unusual day for him, it's just another day for everyone else. In fact, it's one of the days when Job kills the person he wants to kill. Life follows its normal course, and this normality creates obstacles for Job.
The slow narrative that continues throughout the film is particularly evident in Siverek. Many people unconsciously, without any intention, slow Job down. Job's dialogues and his patience in the face of what he experiences remind the audience of the Prophet Job. While all this is happening, the slowing pace transforms the audience into the prophet Job. One of the Days Hemme Died Film Review Arakat Mag Murat Fıratoğlu Ali Barkın Fırat Bozan MUBI
A Film Prone to Different Interpretations
One of the Days Hemme Died is a hybrid film that simultaneously evokes the influence of many directors and cinema from many countries, with its scenes, the character's transformation, its minimalist humor, and its supporting characters.
The slow pace of its story and the cast of amateur actors also reminded me of the Italian Neorealist movement. The films of Vittorio De Sica came to mind as films from this movement. While watching Eyüp, I was particularly reminded of the character's journey in Umberto D. (1952).
When it came to the film's minimal humor, I was reminded of the films of Aki Kaurismaki. Of course, the location choices and cinematography are quite far removed from Kaurismaki's films. But how can a filmgoer not make connections between the texts? It's also a significant film for its use of deadpan humor, a style often seen in Aki Kaurismaki's films and rarely seen in our own cinema.
Perhaps the most significant connection between One of the Days Hemme Died is Iranian cinema. Except for the aesthetic image of tomatoes being shown from the sky at the beginning, we see the oppressiveness and unaesthetic side of the countryside in many of the scenes. In comparison, the minimalist humor within inevitably reminded me of Abbas Kiarostami's films. Furthermore, the character's journey and the transformations along this journey brought to mind the Iranian film Where is the Friend's House? (1987). In this respect, I can say that One of the Days Hemme Died represents the intersection of the aforementioned Italian Neorealism Movement and the cinema of Aki Kaurismaki.
I must say that the film lends itself to interpretation within the context of the "hero's endless journey"—not to mention the cinema of all these countries and directors. One Day Hemme Died is a film that can be further layered and intertextualized with many other films as we reflect on it. One Day Hemme Died Film Review Arakat Mag Murat Fıratoğlu Ali Barkın Fırat Bozan MUBI
A Well-Considered Technique
Murat Fıratoğlu generally doesn't want to draw us closer to Eyüp or the other characters. That's why he and cinematographer Nedim Dedecan generally set the camera far away. Sometimes we see the camera static, with characters entering from the left and exiting from the right, for example. Sometimes we see characters moving away from the camera along the way. In all these scenes, the camera is positioned more as a witness than as a tool. In this respect, we see a film that complements itself with minimalist camera movements that match the film's tempo.
When we look at the film's editing, we see that we are
watching an example of slow cinema. Since we're watching a film that doesn't
cover a very long period of time, we have a director who also wants to tell it
slowly. So much so that even in the scenes where Eyüp occasionally recalls his
childhood in Siverek, we see that he remembers his past from where he is,
without going back in time.
From this perspective, we see that he doesn't even use flashbacks. Furthermore, the most significant issue with editing is that the camera often doesn't cut. We see that many scenes consist of long-take sequences, and that the editing is based on camera movements. This makes the film a film that requires some patience for unfamiliar cinemagoers.
When we look at the colors used in the scenes, we notice the
red accompanying the overall color of the setting, yellow. We see that red
continues to haunt Eyüp, starting with the endless tomato display. Even Eyüp's
motorcycle is red, and at some point, we notice that many objects around him
gradually turn red. One of the Days Hemme Died is an unplanned, unexpected, and
quite surprising film in our recent Turkish cinema. It's a very good film,
especially considering the director and the cinemas of the country it has
established relationships with.
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